Stopper for a ladle or similar receptacle



"Dec. 13, 1966 'r. H. HARLEY 3,299,739

STOPPER FOR A LADLE OR SIMILAR RECEPTACLE Original Filed Jan, 16, 1961 2 sheets-sheet 1 INVENTOR. Theodare H. Harley his ATTORNEYS Dec. 13, 1966 T. H. HARLEY STOPPER FOR A LADLE OR SIMILAR RECEPTACLE Original Filed Jan. 16, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet '2 INVENTOR 3% W? M w n his ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,290,739 STOPPER FOR A LADLE 0R SIMILAR RECEPTACLE Theodore H. Harley, Fox Chapel Borough, Allegheny County, Pa., assignor to Vesuvius Crucible Company, Swissvale, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Continuation of application Ser. No. 82,877, Jan. 16,

1961. This application Mar. 12, 1965, Ser. No. 439,322

2 Claims. (Cl. 22-85) cerned are normally used in ladles or other receptacles I in which molten steel or other molten metal at high temperature is handled. The stopper is subjected to the temperature of the molten metal and the high heat magnifies mechanically or thermally induced stresses with the result that the stopper head may crack. I have discovered that such stresses may be minimized by the employment of separate connecting means of the type specifically hereinafter claimed connecting the stopper head with the stopper rod whereby the head is carried and manipulated. This obviates thermally induced stresses such as are built up when molding a refractory head having a projection of small, cross-sectional area 1 as compared with the crosssectional area of the body of the head, as shown, for example, in abandoned application Serial No. 789,945, filed January 29, 1959. Also mechanically induced stresses such as occur when the stopper rod is connected directly with the stopper head are minimized.

I provide a stopper for a ladle or similar receptacle comprising a refractory head having a downwardly extending initially empty well in its upper portion, connecting means inserted downwardly into the well of the head and connected with the head and also projecting above the top of the head, a rod separate from the connecting means extending upwardly from the connecting means and means fastening the connecting means to the rod.

Other details, objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the following description of certain present preferred embodiments thereof proceeds.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown a number of present preferred embodiments of the invention. Each of the figures is a diagrammatic axial cross-sectional view through a stopper for a ladle or similar receptacle. FIGURE 1 shows the connecting means threaded into the head and threadedly connected with a sleeve having a portion overlying a flange at the bottom of the stopper rod. FIGURE 2 is similar to FIGURE 1 except that the connections between the connecting means and the head and sleeve respectively are bayonet slot connections. FIG- URES 3, 4, 5 and 6 show a special form of stopper rod which embraces the upper portion of the connecting means and is either pinned thereto or threaded thereto, the connecting means being connected With the head in various manners as will be hereinafter described.

In each of the figures there is shown a refractory stopper head having a downwardly extending initially empty well in its upper portion. In each case the stopper head is molded and burned before the connecting means are applied.

In FIGURE 1 the stopper head is designated 2 and the well therein is designated 3. The well 3 is shown as being "Ice internally threaded at 4. In this embodiment of the invention the connecting means is a stem 5 which is shown as being threaded from end to end, the stem being threaded into the well 3 whereby it is connected with the head 2. The stem 5 projects above the top of the head as shown in FIGURE 1..

Still referring to FIGURE 1, a conventional steel stopper rod 6 is shown as having a flange 7 at its bottom disposed atop the stem 5. A sleeve 8 surrounds the lower portion of the rod and has a portion 9 overlying the flange 7 and is threadedly connected with the projecting upper portion of the stem 5 whereby to fasten the stem to the rod. A series of additional sleeves is disposed about the rod above the sleeve 8 and a steel washer lies atop the uppermost sleeve and a nut is threaded onto the rod above the steel washer and is tightened down against the steel washer to press downwardly on the series of sleeves and maintain them tightly together. This is the case in all embodiments of the invention.

Since the head, stem, rod and sleeve are all separate elements any thermally or mechanically induced stresses are virtually eliminated. The parts of the stopper are securely held together and the stopper is not subject to the disadvantages inherent in prior stoppers as above explained.

In FIGURE 2 the stem 5a performs the same function as the stem 5 of FIGURE 1 but is connected with each of the head 2a and the sleeve 8a by conventional bayonet slot connections designated generally by reference numerals 10 and 11 respectively. The rod 6a of FIGURE 2 is identical with the rod 6 0f FIGURE 1, having a flange 71/1 at its bottom disposed atop the stern 5a. The sleeve 8a through its bayonet slot connection with the stern 5a fastens the stem to the rod 6a, performing the same function as the sleeve 8 of FIGURE 1.

The stem 5 of FIGURE 1 and the stem 5a of FIGURE 2, as well as the stems of FIGURES 3, 4, 5 and 6 presently to be described, may be made of either refractory material or metal or other suitable material since in each case the stem is substantially confined within the head and sleeve and hence is to a substantial extent insulated from the heat of the molten metal. The stem may be connected with the head by either a threaded or a bayonet slot connection or other suitable connections and it may be connected with the sleeve by either a threaded or a bayonet slot connection or other suitable connection. Threaded and/or bayonet slot connections in the same stopper should both be of the same hand.

FIGURES 3, 4, 5 and 6 all show a special form of stopper rod which embraces the upper portion of the connecting means. In those figures the rod has at its bottom an inverted integral cup. In FIGURES 3, 4 and 5 the cup is connected with the connecting means by a pin while in FIGURE 6 the cup is threaded to the projecting upper end of the connecting means.

In FIGURE 3 the connecting means or stem 50 is shown as being threaded into the head 20 and pinned to the cup 13 of the rod 12 by a pin 14. The sleeve 8c prevents the pin 14 from becoming disengaged from the stem and cup.

In FIGURE 4 the stem 5d is shown as being connected with the head 2d by a bayonet slot connection 10d and pinned to the cup 13d of the rod 12d by a pin 14d. The sleeve 8d prevents the pin 14d from becoming disengaged from the stem and cup.

In FIGURE 5 the connecting means comprise opposed members 15 each having a flange 16 at its bottom, and the well 3e has an undercut enlargement 17 into which the flanges 16 are adapted to be inserted when the members 15 are moved downwardly into the well and then laterally. A keeper 18 is then inserted between the members 15 to maintain them in interengagement with the well. The

connecting means are pinned to the cup 13e of the rod He by a pin Me. The sleeve 8e prevents the pin 14e from becoming disengaged from thelstem and cup.

The stem 51 of FIGURE 6 may be identical with the stem of FIGURE 1. The stem Si is threaded into the internally threaded well 3 of the head 2] and is also thraeded into the internally threaded cup 13 of the rod 12 All of the forms of the invention shown have the advantage that by reason of the provision of the separate connected parts or elements the likelihood of cracking of the stopper head is minimized. Also the various elements can be formed at low cost. Thus I provide for obtaining a superior result at reduced cost.

While I have shown and described certain present preferred embodiments of the invention it is to be distinctly understood that the invention is not limited thereto but may be otherwise variously embodied within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A stopper rod assembly comprising a stopper having a lower solid nose and a planar upper surface, said nose including a portion forming a recess opening into said planar upper surface, a plug, connecting means in said nose recess and on said plug securing the plug in said nose recess and disposing said plug above said planar upper surface, a sleeve including a planar lower surface and having portions forming a downwardly opening recess opening into said lower planar surface of said sleeve and a communicating reduced cross sectioned bore opening into the upper end of said sleeve, and a stopper rod adapted to extend through said sleeve bore and including a lower portion extending laterally into said sleeve recess, said sleeve recess and upper end of said plug including connecting means securing the lower planar surface of said sleeve juxtaposed on the upper planar surface of said nose and circumposed about said plug and disposing the lower portion of said stopper rod adjacent the uppermost end of said plug and spaced above the upper planar surface of said stopper, the transverse dimension of the sleeve being substantially the same as the transverse dimension of the stopper.

2. A stopper rod assembly comprising a stopper having a lower solid nose and a planar upper surface, said nose including a connector extending above said planar upper surface, a sleeve including a planar lower surface and having portions forming a downwardly opening recess opening into said lower planar surface of said sleeve and a communicating reduced cross sectioned bore opening into the upper end of said sleeve, and a stopper rod adapted to extend through said sleeve bore and including a lower portion extending laterally into said sleeve recess, said sleeve recess and upper end of said connector including connecting means in the form of interfitting screw threads securing the lower planar surface of said sleeve juxtaposed on the upper planar surface of said nose and circumposed about said connector and disposing the lower portion of said stopper rod adjacent the uppermost end of said connector and spaced above the upper planar surface of said stopper, the transverse dimension of the sleeve being substantially the same as the transverse dimension of the stopper.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,510,134 9/ 1924 Broadwell 287127 1,825,177 9/1931 Brosius et al 22-85 2,556,152 6/1951 Cieslak 2285 2,736,935 3/1956 Shea 22--85 3,040,400 6/ 1962 Coady 2285 3,091,823 6/1963 Murton 2285 FOREIGN PATENTS 14,570 12/ 1892 Great Britain. 485,211 5/1938 Great Britain.

J. SPENCER OVERHOLSER, Primary Examiner. R. D. BALDWIN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A STOPPER ROD ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A STOPPER HAVING A LOWER SOLID NOSE AND A PLANAR UPPER SURFACE, SAID NOSE INCLUDING A PORTION FORMING A RECESS OPENING INTO SAID PLANAR UPPER SURFACE, A PLUG, CONNECTING MEANS IN SAID NOSE RECESS AND ON SAID PLUG SECURING THE PLUG IN SAID NOSE RECESS AND DISPOSING SAID PLUG ABOVE SAID PLANAR UPPER SURFACE, A SLEEVE INCLUDING A PLANAR LOWER SURFACE AND HAVING PORTIONS FORMING A DOWNWARDLY OPENING RECESS OPENING INTO SAID LOWER PLANAR SURFACE OF SAID SLEEVE AND A COMMUNICATING REDUCED CROSS SECTIONAL BORE OPENING INTO THE UPPER END OF SAID SLEEVE, AND A STOPPER ROD ADAPTED TO EXTEND THROUGH SAID SLEEVE BORE AND INCLUDING A LOWER PORTION EXTENDING LATERALLY INTO SAID SLEEVE RECESS, SAID SLEEVE RECESS AND UPPER END OF SAID PLUG INCLUDING CONNECTING MEANS SECURING THE LOWER PLANAR SURFACE OF 